In recent years, digital still cameras (to be simply referred to as “digital cameras” hereinafter) that can record image data obtained by photographing in semiconductor memories have prevailed beyond conventional cameras that record images on silver halide films.
Most models of digital cameras of this type can photograph not only still images but also time-series images, such as continuous-shot images, moving images, and the like although they cannot make long-time recording compared to camera-integrated video recorders in terms of the capacity of the recording media.
When a moving image is photographed by such a digital camera, individual moving image data recorded on a memory card or the like as a recording medium are independent from each other. Hence, it is difficult to make an operation for, e.g., combining two moving images into one moving image using the digital camera. In such case, edit software on a personal computer is required.
Under such circumstances, a digital camera which allows simple edit operations such as partial erase, divide, join, and the like of moving images by itself has been proposed. (For example, see patent reference 1.)
[Patent Reference 1]
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-275512
As described above, a digital camera of patent reference 1 allows the user to designate an edit point in a moving image, and to make edit operations for partially erasing, dividing, and joining a moving image with reference to the designated edit point.
Upon inserting another moving image B in the middle of given moving image A, which has already been recorded by this digital camera, the following operations are required:
(1) designating an edit point in moving image A;
(2) dividing moving image A into A1 and A2 by edit mode “scissors”;
(3) joining moving images A1 and B by edit mode “glue”; and
(4) joining moving images “A1+B” and A2 by edit mode “glue”.
In addition, after the respective edit operations such as divide, join, and the like, the edited moving images are immediately saved by overwriting in a flash memory as a recording medium. Therefore, when the user confirms edited moving image “A1+B+A2” by selecting a play mode, and is not satisfied with the contents, he or she must re-do operations from those for dividing joined moving image “A1+B+A2” into three moving images by designating two edit points.
In this way, instructions for a plurality of moving images must be issued by combining basic edit operations. Therefore, troublesome operations are required as a whole, and re-doing also requires similar labor.